The Post Where I Tell You That You Were Right

Ask anyone close to me and they’ll tell you that I never admit when I’m wrong. Never. But I am today (and this will be the only time). I made it through an entire Tuesday Morning Quarterback and I was surprisingly entertained (even though I still think the name of it is cheesy). So color me “behind the times” as I was unaware of this weekly column. I honestly thought it was similar to UniWatch, which I could care less about. Here are the highlights from It Doesn’t Pay to Punt:

Errors:

Stats of the Week No. 10 : The Saints are 3-0 for the first time since 1842.

Considering that…..in 1869……Rutgers and Princeton played a college soccer football game, the first ever, November 6. The game used modified London Football Association rules. During the next seven years, rugby gained favor with the major eastern schools over soccer, and modern football began to develop from rugby. The actual NFL wasn’t formed until 1920…. It would lead me to believe that he meant 1942, but I could be wrong (just a typo though so no big deal, and if it’s a joke that I don’t get let me know)

Great Points:

Favre Moratorium Call Renewed: It’s good that the storied Green Bay Packers have a W. But midway through their game this Sunday, after completing a routine pass for a first down, Brett Favre jumped into the air and began pumping his fists as if he’d just won the Super Bowl. A year ago, Tuesday Morning Quarterback proposed a moratorium on press coverage of Favre, who’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer but at this point ridiculously over-emphasized by the sports media. Any other player who jumped into the air and celebrated wildly after a routine completion would be mocked. The standards that apply to everyone else should also apply to Favre.I watched a good chunk of this game and I couldn’t agree more. I argue that there isn’t a more overhyped athlete in all of sports.Please, Announcers, Learn the Distinction Between an End-Around and a Reverse: Watching a highlight of receiver Marty Booker of Miami running against Tennessee, novice sportscaster Jerome Bettis exclaimed, “Reverse!” It was an end-around, not a reverse: Daunte Culpepper faked up the middle, then handed off to Booker coming around. The ball never changed direction. Announcers, here’s the easy way to tell if it’s a reverse: count handoffs. An end-around requires one handoff. A reverse requires two handoffs, one to make the ball go in Direction A, another to make it go in Direction B. The very rare double reverse requires three handoffs, so the ball ends up going back in Direction A.

Last night my TMQ e-mail box got more than 400 messages from people watching “Monday Night Football,” as the United States Saints ran a reverse and the MNF crew called it a double reverse. Drew Brees faked up the middle, then handed to Reggie Bush running left; Bush handed to Devery Henderson running right for the touchdown. That’s one change of direction (Bush handing to Henderson), making it a reverse. Count the handoffs: two handoffs mean the play is a reverse. For the play to have been a double reverse, a third handoff would have been needed, from Henderson to someone running left, Bush’s original direction. Danny Chamberlin of Memphis, Tennessee was among many readers to point out that Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser erroneously described the play as a “double reverse,” while former quarterback Joe Theismann correctly described it as a “reverse.” Mike and Tony, you’re not alone. Adele Stannard of Springfield, Ore., noted that even the official Game Book erroneously describes the play thusly: “Double-reverse handoff Brees, D. to Bush, R. to Henderson, D.” Hey official Game Book, that’s two handoffs and thus cannot be a double reverse! See the entry at 3:04 of the first quarter.Great Great Great Point. I’ve being yelling at people for years about this.

This article was a little less than my first read (9,000 down to 7,000), so it was tolerable and I didn’t really get bored with it (much like I do with someone else’s). I could probably do without all of the womanizing stuff (Hottest Cheerleader, etc.), but I recommend it if you haven’t read it before.______________________

As far as the subject of my ire now…..Robert “Scoop” Jackson. I really cannot think of anyone who is less informed than Scoop. He makes the largest generalizations ever and talks in such hyperbole that it’s unbearable.

Well I noticed this site… Scoopwatch. They started up this September and I think I will leave the Scoop-bashing to them (they are doing an awesome job) and find someone else to pick on (and I think I have….more on that tomorrow).I’ll be back later with a small rant on the Monday Night Football Intro (F’ing Ashton Kutcher!).